Dark Days
by magicsunbeam
Summary: Sequel to Dark Serendipity. Lauren comes to Jack for help.


Title: Dark Days  
  
Author: Magicsunbeam  
  
Email: magicsunbeam@ntlworld.com  
  
Category:  
  
Pairing:   
  
Rating: G  
  
Season/sequel: Sequel to Dark Serendipity  
  
Summary: Loren looks to Jack for help with Scott and Will.  
  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property  
of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all  
the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only  
and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The story  
is the property of the author and may not be posted without the author's  
consent.  
  
Authors Notes: I would recommend you read Dark Serendipity, as this is a small sequel to it and won't make much sense if you don't know what has gone on before. Thanx to Steph and Sandra G for sorting out my grandma for me. (How come they say she's no trouble when she needs sorting every time? hehe) J.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jack O'Neill sat on the observation deck at his house and sighed contentedly.  
  
Alone at last.  
  
He had spent the last ten days under the eagle eyes of Janet Fraiser. Daniel, Sam and Teal'c had visited him more times than a door-to-door salesmen. Not that he wasn't grateful for the company; long stays in the infirmary were painful for Jack, but oooh boy, was he looking forward to some peace and quiet.   
  
He had planned tonight. Just him, a telescope, a bunch of stars, and a bottle of Ireland's finest.  
  
Of course, Janet would not be a happy bunny if she knew about the alcohol consumption, but he figured what she didn't see, wouldn't hurt her.  
  
Watching as the last of the sun dropped behind the treetops, he took a swig from the bottle and grinned.  
  
One yes, he could do peace and quiet.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Now I know you know you shouldn't be drinking that."  
  
A woman's voice from the steps made Jack jump practically out of his skin. He spun round at a speed that jerked his shoulder, and made him hiss at the stabbing pain.   
  
As he recognised his uninvited guest, Jacks heart slowed from beating a tattoo, to pounding Morse code.  
  
"Way to go Doc. You scared the hell out of me," he scowled, before allowing a big smile to split his face. "It's great to see you."  
  
Loren Piper climbed the last of the steps up onto the deck.  
  
"Oh please, O'Neill. Don't even try that one on me," she stated solemnly, before staring pointedly at the beer. "I doubt Dr Fraiser would be happy to see that bottle in your hand."  
  
"Ah, now Doc. Take pity on a wounded soul," Jack whined, as he looked past Loren to the steps. "Where's Scotty?"  
  
Teasing suddenly went out of the window, as Loren dropped her eyes to the floor.  
  
"I came alone, Jack," she said softly, her voice quivering.  
Stars forgotten, Jack put down the beer. He climbed gingerly to his feet, crossed the deck and carefully pulled Loren into his arms. For a moment she resisted, then as the emotions resulting from the past twelve days caught up, she gave up and let the tears flow.   
  
Jack didn't say a word. Just waited until Loren managed to compose herself enough to look up at him, give a weak smile and a quiet apology.  
  
"No need to be sorry, Doc," he told her sadly. "What do you say we take this inside?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As he waited for the kettle to boil, Jack watched Loren secretly and hated what he saw. The `Doc` Piper he knew was one of the most bubbly, outgoing, confident people he had ever met. Looking at her now was like looking at a stranger. Never before had Jack seen her look so utterly despondent.   
  
And afraid.   
  
He couldn't blame her for that. Their lives had been turned upside down over the last few days. Everything that she and Scott had thought of as safe and solid had been blown away on a bitter wind. Jack himself was finding it all so hard to comprehend. He had known Will almost all of the youngster's life. Jack hadn't been fully aware of the background from which the kid had come ~ and it seemed that in the end, neither had Scott. What he did know was, that the Pipers had taken it upon themselves to try and get a young and impressionable kid away from the crimes of the city. To have him see there was more to life than muggings and store hold ups.   
  
Up until twelve days ago, they'd seemed to be doing a damn fine job too.  
  
The kettle's whistle brought Jack out of his reverie. He quickly made a coffee, made his way into the sitting room and handed the steaming mug to Loren.  
  
"Thanks," Loren said, a tiny smile crossing her now calm face. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to go all maudlin on you back there."  
  
Jack smiled sympathetically.  
  
"After what you guys have been through over the last few days, I think you're entitled to get a little upset."  
  
Loren laughed lightly and shook her head. "Only you, Jack."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Only you could go through what you did, and be non-judgemental."  
  
Jack leaned forward and took Loren's hand.  
  
"Non-judgemental?" He asked. "I have nothing to judge. Lets get something straight here, Doc. You and Scott had nothing to do with what happened. There was no way you could have known what Will was going to do that afternoon, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he didn't know either."  
  
Loren squeezed Jacks hand. "You're a good man, Jack O'Neill."  
  
"Pah! You haven't seen me on a bad day," Jack grunted and then grinned.  
  
"Oh it may have been a while, but I remember." Loren assured him with a smile.  
  
For a short while, a companionable silence fell over the room. Then taking courage from deep down, Loren said quietly:  
  
"He's afraid to come."  
  
Jack's frowned in confusion.  
  
"Scotty. He can't bring himself to face you." Before Jack could answer, she carried on. "He thinks he should have spotted some sort of sign. Seen something. Anything."  
  
Feeling the tears threatening her again, Loren got up and walked to the window.  
  
"I don't know if he can ever forgive himself."  
  
Jack struggled for the right words, but couldn't find them. Instead, he joined Loren at the window.  
  
"Since when was he a mind reader? There's nothing to forgive. He'll get through this, I know Scotty," he nudged Loren carefully with his shoulder.   
  
"That's where I think you're wrong, Jack. The day after Will was arrested, Scott went to see him. To try and find out what is going on in that head of his. I don't know what was said, Scotty won't tell me, but it must have been bad," Loren swiped at a tear. "In all the years I've known Scott. Through all the bad times he had with the air force, all the bad stuff that has happened to him, I've never seen him so angry and upset. God, Jack. He's devastated by what Will did to you. To us. I don't think he'll ever speak to him again."  
  
"Come on, Doc," Jack said, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Scott doesn't hold grudges. He never could. I can understand the hurt and the frustration. Hell, I'm not too happy with the kid myself, but I know he can't hold it against him forever."  
  
"He's hurting, Jack," Loren's voice took on a tremor once more. "More than I've ever seen him hurt before. I try to help. Try to get him to open up, to find out what was said that day, but he keeps pushing me away. He's never pushed me away before, Jack, never. That's what's scaring me most."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Scott Piper's mind was about a hundred miles away from his body, which sat by the lake. Not surprisingly, he didn't notice he had company until he heard the voice ask:  
  
"Got a pole for me?"  
  
Scott's fishing rod flew from his hands, and he leapt to his feet. He spun round to find a very amused Jack O'Neill standing behind him. For a moment, Scott didn't know whether to hug his friend or punch him. In the end he did neither. Instead, he sat back down on his rock, picked up the rod and set about casting a fresh line.  
  
"Jack," he spoke in greeting.  
  
Brrr. Cold shoulder, Jack thought, and replied. "Scotty."   
  
"There's a spare rod next to the bag, back there," Scott carried on, without even a backward glance.  
  
Jack took his friend's solemnity onboard, as he prepared the rod. Not good, he thought as made his way to the lake's edge.  
  
"Mind if I pull up a rock?" He asked.  
  
When Scott didn't answer, he lowered himself onto a small boulder and cast his line off. After a few minutes, the silence began to make Jack itch. An itch he didn't like, and that just had to be scratched.  
  
"So. Nice view you have here," he said, attempting to break down the invisible barrier that had been thrown up between them.  
  
"What are doing here, Jack?"  
  
Oy. Straight to the chase huh, Scotty Boy? That's good. Jack thought.   
  
"Didn't get to see much of the views last time I was here," he answered lightly.   
  
"Loren shouldn't have called you."  
  
Whoa. He was so going to have to take back the mind reader quip.  
  
"She said you wouldn't speak to her."  
  
"So she sent in the big guns, huh? She shouldn't have dragged you in on this, she had no right."  
  
"She had every right, Scotty. She's worried about you."  
  
"She doesn't need to be. I'm a big boy," Scott spat angrily.  
  
Jack sighed. This is going nowhere, he thought as he reeled in his hook and cast off again.  
  
"Loren said you went to see Will." Jack said, cringing as he saw Scott's whole body tense.   
  
"Yup."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So what, Jack? What is it you want to hear?" Scotty all but yelled, fixing his friend with an angry glare. "You want to hear how he decided to take a pot shot at an innocent stranger on the road because he felt he was being looked on as damned a charity case? How he thinks of us, his family, as do-gooders who get a kick from bringing him camping? He looks on us morons, Jack. His words, not mine."  
  
Jack watched in silence, as his friend struggled to keep his equanimity. He realised Loren's worries were founded. Scott was hurt. Way beyond hurt in fact, and he needed to find some sort of solution. Quickly.  
  
"I thought we meant something to him, Jack," the voice was small, quiet and filled with disappointment. "God knows he meant nothing to his own parents, but he was a big part of our lives."  
  
"You should talk to Loren," Jack told him.  
  
"And tell her what?" Scott sounded beaten. "I can't tell her what I just told you. It would kill her."  
  
"The way I see it, hearing the truth from you is infinitely better than what she's going through right now."  
  
Scott gave Jack a sideways glance. Jack caught the look and sighed.  
  
"God, Scotty. How can an intelligent man like yourself, be so stupid? This didn't just happen to you. How do you think Loren feels? And Mike? For God sake, Will is like a brother to him. Loren's worried about you. No, let me rephrase that. She's terrified. For both of you. She thinks you're pushing her away. She knows what was said between you and Will was bad, but she needs to hear it from you. She wants to be there for you, but you won't let her in." Jack put the rod down and turned to look directly at his friend. "Jesus, Scott. If ever there was a time to listen to me, to understand that I know what I'm talking about, it's now. I pushed Sara away, I shut her out, I couldn't talk to her, and look at the price I paid. I didn't just lose Charlie. I lost everything."  
  
Scott stared into the still waters, and Jack could all but hear the cogs clicking into place. After a moment, Scott turned back to him, his eyes brimming, and his expression one of shock.  
  
"I ~ I didn't know," he told Jack. "I didn't mean to shut her out. I didn't think."  
  
"Okay," Jack leaned across and gave his friend a playful shove. "So now you're thinking. What are you going to do about it?"  
  
"I need to talk to Loren," Scott said. Scrambling to his feet, he began to shove the fishing tackle away. "And Mike."  
  
Jack watched from his boulder and grinned.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The ride back down the mountain was a quiet one. Jack kept glancing across at Scott, who was staring at the dashboard, deep in thought. Judging by the angry expression, the thoughts were of Will, rather than Loren.  
  
"You need to speak to him. Make your peace with him."  
  
Scott looked up, his expression dark once more.  
  
"There is nothing I want to say to him, Jack."  
  
"And if you believe that, you're not the man I thought you were."  
  
Scott laughed sardonically. "And you can talk?"  
  
"I was wrong. I'm not too big to admit it. I just didn't realise it until it was too late. It's not too late for you and Will."  
  
"Jack, the kid almost killed you and Sam. Why do you care what happens to him?"  
  
"I don't know," Jack sighed. "Because I care about what happens to you and Loren, and what happens to him from now is going to affect you. Because deep down, I don't think he didn't really want to hurt anyone. That it was a cry for help, maybe. I know. It was dumb shit way of doing it, but he's a kid, Scotty."  
  
Scott stared out at the fast fading light.  
  
"Everyone deserves a second chance, Scotty." Jack said quietly.  
  
"Cry for help or not," Scotty replied. "What he did was a serious offence. Where he's going, he's going to have a lot of time to reflect on that."  
  
Jack grimaced at the thought. A fresh faced, first time offender didn't stand much of a hope in hell. Then suddenly, an idea came to him.  
  
"He may not have to end up in the penatentuary. There's a good chance he could be sent to boot camp. That has to be better."  
  
Jack didn't miss the way the idea affected Scott, as relief flooded his face.  
  
"And I know a Texan who may just be able to pull it off."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The light was all but gone by the time Jack pulled the jeep onto the end of Scott's drive. Up at the cabin, Loren was sitting on the porch. When she saw the jeep, she got to her feet, but stayed.  
  
Scott watched her for a second, before turning to Jack.  
  
"Jack, I ~," he began.  
  
Jack grinned and shook his head. "Ah ah. Don't, Scotty. Just go take care of them," he said, indicating Loren, who had now been joined by Mike.  
  
Scott held out a hand to Jack. When his friend returned the gesture, Scott took his hand in a strong grip, and held on as the two men grinned at each other.   
  
Then Scott then climbed from the jeep, grabbed his fishing rods and tackle and began to make his way up the drive. As he approached the cabin, Loren took a few tentative steps towards him. Jack grinned as, Scotty dropped the rods to the ground, and Loren flew the rest the way into his open arms.  
  
"Oh, yes," Jack chuckled. "Eat your heart out, Ricki Lake."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Will Piper sat at the little table in the small interview room, and sighed. Another meaningless round of talks with some greasy, small time attorney coming up. He didn't bother to look up as the door opened, and it wasn't until he realised the person had stayed by the door, that he took notice.  
  
He looked across at his visitor, then did a double take. Instantly, his face hardened when he recognised Scott, and behind him, in air force uniform, stood Jack.  
  
Scott watched him silently, not daring to say anything, as they stared at each other, unmoving. Then suddenly, Will's face crumpled, and he couldn't stop the tears. Within the next breath he was holding onto Scott, sobbing.   
  
The prison officer made a move toward the pair, only to have Jack take him by the arm.  
  
"Let's give them a minute, huh?" He insisted, smiling sweetly as he dragged him out of the door.   
  
Once in the corridor, Jack leaned against the wall.   
  
"Jack O'Neill - 2, Ricki Lake - 0, " he said, with a smug grin.  
  
  
~~~end~~~ 


End file.
